what did you do today? (2008-2015) (closed)

[NW-Bound]

Heh... It's a small container holding a messy surprise! Meets the definition of honeypot for me.

The internet service provider doesn't think there is a problem with their router, according to their phone support 'expert'. Meanwhile, back on Earth:

Backdoor in wireless DSL routers lets attacker reset router, get admin | Ars Technica
Easter egg: DSL router patch merely hides backdoor instead of closing it | Ars Technica
http://www.synacktiv.com/ressources/TCP32764_backdoor_again.pdf

And yup, their router is chock full of Sercomm software, and nicely responds to a knock-knock sequence to gain root access!

You scare me, so I check on the Web and my router is not one with the backdoor. Whew!

And then, I log on to the router to see its log. What the heck! Some guy with an IP address up in Utah made several attempts to get to my Iomega file server on port 50500. Did he get in? I double checked the settings on that stand-alone server, and saw that I did not authorize access from the outside, over the Web. So what was that all about?

Anyway, I guess it is a kind of mischievous fun to set up a honeypot to attract flies. But is it possible to bring too much traffic to your home that it is like inviting your own DoS attack?

I am not an IT or network expert, but now wonder if the frequent lockup of that file server was due to its "lock being pried" by that unknown jerk. I had to reboot the thing every few days.


PS. Just found out the IP address belongs to Iomega Corp! Is this a case of "ET call home"? What are they doing?

 

[Walt34]

He had an expensive UPS type surge protector on his very expensive computer and the lightening pretty much ate that and then his computer. I mean toasted. Well, the company that made the surge protector made good on their warranty and replaced his high end computer and all attached to it.

Do you know the brand of the UPS/surge protector with that warranty? Since it's a given that mine is fried I'm in the market for a new one.

 

[Khan]

Looked at manufactured homes.
Packed for back to Ohio.

 

[M Paquette]

You scare me, so I check on the Web and my router is not one with the backdoor. Whew!

And then, I log on to the router to see its log. What the heck! Some guy with an IP address up in Utah made several attempts to get to my Iomega file server on port 50500. Did he get in? I double checked the settings on that stand-alone server, and saw that I did not authorize access from the outside, over the Web. So what was that all about?

Anyway, I guess it is a kind of mischievous fun to set up a honeypot to attract flies. But is it possible to bring too much traffic to your home that it is like inviting your own DoS attack?

I am not an IT or network expert, but now wonder if the frequent lockup of that file server was due to its "lock being pried" by that unknown jerk. I had to reboot the thing every few days.


PS. The IP address belongs to Iomega Corp! Is this a case of "ET call home"? What are they doing?

And people wonder what we do all day...

The honeypot is only visible from inside the internet provider's router, and the router is set to supposedly not make any internal network devices or ports public. The idea is that when someone uses the backdoor in their router and scans the internal network, the only device that responds to the scan is the honeypot, and poking around that device will bog down the intruder, as it is programmed to be a... bit... sloooow... Eventually that will also open a relay latch that powers off my real router, leaving the intruder with just the hacked ISP router and honeypot. I just need to build that bit.

Your 'unknown jerk' is likely to be Iomega, probably responding to a UDP packet from your gadget. The Iomega Personal Cloud service lets your device check in with their data center, which then will take connections from you or folks you've granted access over the public internet, and forward those connections to your device. Your device may have the cloud feature turned on, but the router is blocking the port forwarding on ports 50500-50599. There's also HTTPS access on port 443...

http://www.thedostore.com/media/EZ_Media_User_Guide.pdf Pagee 78-79

So, that's what you'll be doing tomorrow...

 

[NW-Bound]

Your 'unknown jerk' is likely to be Iomega, probably responding to a UDP packet from your gadget. The Iomega Personal Cloud service lets your device check in with their data center, which then will take connections from you or folks you've granted access over the public internet, and forward those connections to your device. Your device may have the cloud feature turned on, but the router is blocking the port forwarding on ports 50500-50599. There's also HTTPS access on port 443...

http://www.thedostore.com/media/EZ_Media_User_Guide.pdf Pagee 78-79

So, that's what you'll be doing tomorrow...

But I had checked and reconfirmed that the "cloud feature" was off, just as I set it 2 years ago.

I will spend time to read the pdf file you provided. Thanks.

 

[M Paquette]

But I had checked and reconfirmed that the "cloud feature" was off, just as I set it 2 years ago.

I will spend time to read the pdf file you provided. Thanks.

Off, you say? That's what they'd like you to believe! Would you bet your sweet bippy on that?

 

[aja8888]

Do you know the brand of the UPS/surge protector with that warranty? Since it's a given that mine is fried I'm in the market for a new one.

Walt, I do not know, but will send him an e-mail if I still have his current one. It's been a while since we chatted and he retired a short while ago. If I find out, I will let you know.

 

[xyz]

Ran Hawaii Ironman 70.3 (yesterday) Here is my update.


What a blast ! Even though I did not do the race as I would have liked I will chalk it up to a learning experience. Now that almost 12 hours have passed I can now think clearly and write a little bit about the race. First and foremost ... I finished.

The good:

The field was truly an international group of people who were incredibly friendly and supportive of each other. I was concerned about that as I saw people warming up in the days before on the highway with teams and matching outfits etc... Turns out once you are in the water it's just you and people became very friendly. I was so pleased to see how nice everyone was before, during and after the event.

The swim (still part of the good): I did a 38 minute swim which was not too bad (I was shooting for 35). The start was pretty good I found open water pretty quickly which made me happy. It was a little difficult spotting the buoys so I was a little off on the first turn (I kinda figured things out after that one) but what a traffic jam coming around that buoy ! We were crawling over each other. I was certainly conditioned enough as I finished the swim and was not overly tired. I took my time in T1, the bikes were really close to one another so it was a little tight getting going.. I would definitely work on my process prior to another triathlon.

The bike (still part of the good but going bad): The bike ride was great it heads out of the beach park and goes south for about 4 miles to a turnaround then north for about 24 miles. The last 5 miles prior to Hawi (the northern turnaround) are all uphill ! that’s the bad news the good news was once you turned around we had a tail wind and I was doing 40 MPH at one point. The going bad part is now that I think back about the race I believe I should have hydrated considerably more during the bike portion. Temps were about 87 F and sunny.. I lost a lot of water and should have probably done both my water bottles… turns out I did about half of one bottle and that was it… I did a 3:28 on the bike which was a little slower than I expected (goal was around 3:15) but not too bad.


The Bad:

Transition to the run was quick and easy and I really worked on trying to take it out slow. Unfortunately at about 2 miles I got hit with massive cramps in my calves. I knew I did not have enough water in me so I really tried to drink as much as possible at each aid station (about every mile). I was able to jog it to about the 5 mile mark and at that point I just could not run without cramping. This was rather frustrating in that I was not aerobically tired .. my legs just gave up on me.. The remainder of the walk/run I continued to try to get back to no avail… I knew I was going to finish but kinda a bust in terms of a respectable time. (I had been running sub 2 hour half marathons in training and ended up doing almost 3 hours). I managed to muster up a run for the last couple hundred yards but it was incredibly painful.

The best news:

I had a great time ! I love swimming, biking and running. I was so pleasantly surprised how great everyone was. It’s Hawaii ! What’s not to like about that? The scenery was beautiful riding the bike down the coast. I had waves of emotion cruising down the highway knowing what I was doing and it was the culmination of over 1 year of work. And even though I didn’t cruse to the run finish I had another wave at the 12 mile mark knowing I was only 1 mile from a goal I had set for myself.. Yep, I did it, I did it !

One thing I learned during this process is that the training is much more than a bunch of workouts. It is an incredible commitment to a goal overriding all other priorities in your life. It is a strain on not just you but your loved ones too. It is all consuming and during the last couple of months I certainly asked myself if I should just give it up. I kept to the goal and finished and I am very proud of that.
What’s next? I haven’t a clue. I think I will get my legs back and see where I am from there. I am not ready for a full, I know that now so maybe another 70.3 until I get it right ?

 

[aja8888]

Ran Hawaii Ironman 70.3 (yesterday) Here is my update.


What a blast ! Even though I did not do the race as I would have liked I will chalk it up to a learning experience. Now that almost 12 hours have passed I can now think clearly and write a little bit about the race. First and foremost ... I finished.

The good:

The field was truly an international group of people who were incredibly friendly and supportive of each other. I was concerned about that as I saw people warming up in the days before on the highway with teams and matching outfits etc... Turns out once you are in the water it's just you and people became very friendly. I was so pleased to see how nice everyone was before, during and after the event.

The swim (still part of the good): I did a 38 minute swim which was not too bad (I was shooting for 35). The start was pretty good I found open water pretty quickly which made me happy. It was a little difficult spotting the buoys so I was a little off on the first turn (I kinda figured things out after that one) but what a traffic jam coming around that buoy ! We were crawling over each other. I was certainly conditioned enough as I finished the swim and was not overly tired. I took my time in T1, the bikes were really close to one another so it was a little tight getting going.. I would definitely work on my process prior to another triathlon.

The bike (still part of the good but going bad): The bike ride was great it heads out of the beach park and goes south for about 4 miles to a turnaround then north for about 24 miles. The last 5 miles prior to Hawi (the northern turnaround) are all uphill ! that’s the bad news the good news was once you turned around we had a tail wind and I was doing 40 MPH at one point. The going bad part is now that I think back about the race I believe I should have hydrated considerably more during the bike portion. Temps were about 87 F and sunny.. I lost a lot of water and should have probably done both my water bottles… turns out I did about half of one bottle and that was it… I did a 3:28 on the bike which was a little slower than I expected (goal was around 3:15) but not too bad.


The Bad:

Transition to the run was quick and easy and I really worked on trying to take it out slow. Unfortunately at about 2 miles I got hit with massive cramps in my calves. I knew I did not have enough water in me so I really tried to drink as much as possible at each aid station (about every mile). I was able to jog it to about the 5 mile mark and at that point I just could not run without cramping. This was rather frustrating in that I was not aerobically tired .. my legs just gave up on me.. The remainder of the walk/run I continued to try to get back to no avail… I knew I was going to finish but kinda a bust in terms of a respectable time. (I had been running sub 2 hour half marathons in training and ended up doing almost 3 hours). I managed to muster up a run for the last couple hundred yards but it was incredibly painful.

The best news:

I had a great time ! I love swimming, biking and running. I was so pleasantly surprised how great everyone was. It’s Hawaii ! What’s not to like about that? The scenery was beautiful riding the bike down the coast. I had waves of emotion cruising down the highway knowing what I was doing and it was the culmination of over 1 year of work. And even though I didn’t cruse to the run finish I had another wave at the 12 mile mark knowing I was only 1 mile from a goal I had set for myself.. Yep, I did it, I did it !

One thing I learned during this process is that the training is much more than a bunch of workouts. It is an incredible commitment to a goal overriding all other priorities in your life. It is a strain on not just you but your loved ones too. It is all consuming and during the last couple of months I certainly asked myself if I should just give it up. I kept to the goal and finished and I am very proud of that.
What’s next? I haven’t a clue. I think I will get my legs back and see where I am from there. I am not ready for a full, I know that now so maybe another 70.3 until I get it right ?

Congratulations on the effort and completing it. It's quite an accomplishment.

 

[Walt34]

Got a six-month reevaluation at the gym. I've lost five pounds, BMI is significantly lower, fat is down, muscle is up.

Apparently all the huffing & puffing does have an effect.

Also ordered a new photo printer to replace the fried one. Normally $389, the Canon PIXMA-PRO-100 has a $300 rebate when ordered with a pack of Canon paper. It gets good reviews so for $98 I'm sure I'll be happy with it.

 

[Ronstar]

what did you do today?

Xyz - congrats on the triathlon!. And have fun in Hawaii.

 

[MichaelB]

Got new homeowners, flood and umbrella insurance. Citizens (Florida homeowners of last resort) was going to transfer our policy to one of the local unrated insurers (that will probably go under and not pay in a major disaster).

The new homeowners and umbrella cost less and the coverage is better, the savings was enough to add flood, which we didn't have 'til now, and the total is still less.

 

[W2R]

Got new homeowners, flood and umbrella insurance. Citizens (Florida homeowners of last resort) was going to transfer our policy to one of the local unrated insurers (that will probably go under and not pay in a major disaster).

The new homeowners and umbrella cost less and the coverage is better, the savings was enough to add flood, which we didn't have 'til now, and the total is still less.

Woo-hoo! Believe me, I can really appreciate what a terrific deal you found! If Citizens is like Louisiana Fair (our wind and hail insurance of last resort), it is frightfully expensive even though sometimes it is the only insurance available. After living in my area for 18 years I have become a great believer in having flood insurance even if your area doesn't normally flood.

 

[W2R]

As for me, I had fun with numbers today (many here love numbers too and know just what I mean by that). I closed my May records of every cent spent, made sure the income and spending and balance left was exactly consistent, did all the usual categorizations and computations, and finally began June.

I like doing this and it helps to keep me grounded in reality. Maybe a little OCD but so what.

 

[REWahoo]

As for me, I had fun with numbers today (many here love numbers too and know just what I mean by that). I closed my May records of every cent spent, made sure the income and spending and balance left was exactly consistent, did all the usual categorizations and computations, and finally began June.

I like doing this and it helps to keep me grounded in reality. Maybe a little OCD but so what.

Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after counting all that money...

 

[W2R]

Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after counting all that money...

Filthy lucre!!

 

[NW-Bound]

Off, you say? That's what they'd like you to believe! Would you bet your sweet bippy on that?

I had to look up the Web for the meaning of the word bippy. I will refer readers to this thread on another forum.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Met the young woman -- with her parents, sister, and boyfriend-- who now own our house in the Bay Area.

I am SO happy she will have it.

Sometimes family is not blood relations.
Today makes it so much easier to leave my home of 31 years because I know who's carrying on.

 

[aja8888]

Ran a separate 220 volt, 30 amp circuit for my old 4 HP air compressor. Was not fun as attic was hot and a 2 X 4 fire break in the garage wall was in the way.

 

[Khan]

Flew back from Florida.

 

[Cassie]

as for me, i had fun with numbers today (many here love numbers too and know just what i mean by that). I closed my may records of every cent spent, made sure the income and spending and balance left was exactly consistent, did all the usual categorizations and computations, and finally began june.

I like doing this and it helps to keep me grounded in reality. Maybe a little ocd but so what.

 

[Sue J]

As for me, I had fun with numbers today (many here love numbers too and know just what I mean by that). I closed my May records of every cent spent, made sure the income and spending and balance left was exactly consistent, did all the usual categorizations and computations, and finally began June.

I like doing this and it helps to keep me grounded in reality. Maybe a little OCD but so what.

You're not the only one, I get a lot of satisfaction doing this at the end of every month, too. May was one of our more expensive months, garden start up expenses, DH flying out to see his Mom and a few other things that just happened to fall in May. But we still SAVED some money this month so it's all good.

As of June 1, DHs pension includes his fourth COLA, which is just lovely and always appreciated. And that means that I get to redo the monthly income vs outgo spreadsheet. Fun times!

 

[W2R]

You're not the only one, I get a lot of satisfaction doing this at the end of every month, too. May was one of our more expensive months, garden start up expenses, DH flying out to see his Mom and a few other things that just happened to fall in May. But we still SAVED some money this month so it's all good.

As of June 1, DHs pension includes his fourth COLA, which is just lovely and always appreciated. And that means that I get to redo the monthly income vs outgo spreadsheet. Fun times!

Sounds great! Thanks. One of the great things about this forum is that there are some others who, like me, get a kick out of doing this sort of thing.

 

[rodi]

Having reached the FI parte of FIRE - but not the RE part... I hesitate to post this. But it was fun and I want to share.

I went to see Los Lobos last night. I have been a fan since about 1980/81ish. I have seen them about a dozen times - but this was the first time in a decade. The band AND the audience were all 30+ years old. Didn't matter. They still have it - they were awesome.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Sounds great! Thanks. One of the great things about this forum is that there are some others who, like me, get a kick out of doing this sort of thing.

I believe that is what brings many of us here. I really like working on my spreadsheets.

Somebody here I think once wrote what good is having money if all you do is look at numbers on a page. Personally, I would rather look at my numbers than buy a designer purse. Those numbers represent financial security and freedom from long work hours and oppressive megacorp policies and bosses.

My purse broke and DH helped me pick out a new one. We were both shocked at some of the prices of designer purses, even at supposed discount stores like TJ Maxx.

The interesting thing we did recently is come across a wild turkey in our neighborhood trying to join a deer herd. The turkey used to be in a gang of 5 or 6, but we suspect the others became road kill or were eaten by coyotes. This guy has been all alone for a few weeks now. Last night he was hanging out with some deer in the open space, trying to fit in. I felt bad for him. I don't think he can keep up with them long term even though they weren't shooing him away. I hope he finds some new turkey friends to hang with soon.